Demographic Determinants of Wages for Men and Women in Russia
( Pp. 199-210)
More about authors
Yastrebova Svetlana S.
Faculty of Economics
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Moscow, Russian Federation
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Moscow, Russian Federation
Abstract:
This paper estimates the impact of having a first, second, and third child on parents’ real wages using panel data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) for 2004–2024. We employ an event-study design combined with the Heckman two-step correction to account for selectivity into employment. The results confirm a significant motherhood penalty, with the largest and most persistent decline observed after the birth of first child. The penalty for the second child is smaller and shorter in duration. For the third child, we find a sharp drop, but the small sample size limits robust interpretation. In contrast, we find no statistically significant effect of childbirth on men’s wages regardless of birth order. These findings highlight the need for separate assessments by parity and provide insights for demographic and family-support policies. The study contributes to the growing literature on child penalties by offering novel evidence from a large emerging economy with a distinct institutional setting.
How to Cite:
Yastrebova S.S. Demographic determinants of wages for men and women in Russia. Computational Nanotechnology. 13, 2 (2026), 199–210. DOI: 10.33693/2313-223X-2026-13-2-199-210. EDN: YCBRJH
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Migranova L.A. Wages in Russia in 2015–2021. Population. 2021. Vol. 24. No. 3. Pp. 175–190. EDN: EYWWFG.
Shah N. Assessing the impact of parenthood on pay and employment: An event study of the motherhood penalty and fatherhood premium in the UK. Working Paper, Kent Academic Repository, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, 2024. Pp. 1–31.
Arzhenovsky S.V., Artamonova D.V. Conometric estimation of the wage penalty for the motherhood. Applied Econometrics. 2007. No. 3. Pp. 66–79. (In Rus.). EDN: IAHGOJ.
Biryukova S.S., Makarentseva A.O. Estimates of the “Motherhood Penalty” in Russia. Population and Economics. 2017. Vol. 1. No. 1. Pp. 50–70. (In Rus.).
Denisova I.A., Kartseva M.A. Labor shortage: Crisis or opportunity? Journal of the New Economic Association. 2024. No. 4 (65). Pp. 259–266. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.31737/2221-2264-2024-65-4-15. EDN: GUZMJZ.
Kadreva O.N. The influence of quantity and age of children on working women’ salaries. Applied Econometrics. 2016. No. 1 (41). Pp. 62–77. (In Rus.). EDN: VSELOV.
Kalabikhina I.E., Kuznetsova P.O., Zhuravleva S.A. Size and factors of the motherhood penalty in the labour market: A meta-analysis. Population and Economics. 2024. Vol. 8. No. 2. Pp. 178–205. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.3897/popecon.8.e121438.
Kapelyushnikov R.I. Job vacancy expansion in the Russian labor market: dynamics, structure, triggers. Voprosy ekonomiki. 2024. Vol. 7. Pp. 81–111. (In Rus.). EDN: FWPMZT.
Kotyrlo E.S., Bulgakov I.A. Fatherhood, marriage, and male labor market outcomes. Applied Econometrics. 2021. No. 2. Pp. 125–143. (In Rus.). DOI: 10.22394/1993-7601-2021-62-125-143. EDN: WHTYDC.
Nivorozhkina L.I., Nivorozhkin A.M., Arzhenovsky S.V. The “price” of motherhood: an econometric assessment. Bulletin of the Taganrog Institute of Management and Economics. 2008. No. 1. Pp. 3–20. DOI: 10.17323/1813-8691-2008-1-3-20.
Oshchepkov A.Yu. The fatherhood wage premium in Russia. HSE Economic Journal. 2020. Vol. 24. No. 2. Pp. 157–190. DOI: 10.17323/1813-8691-2020-24-2-157-190. EDN: WJFZQC.
Pavlova S.V. About the main trends in the labor market in conditions of personnel shortage. Izvestia of the St. Petersburg State University of Economics. 2025. No. 5 (155). Pp. 83–89. EDN: FLXFOM.
Bari L. Gendered divergence in the impact of parenthood on wages: The role of family size, human capital and working time. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. 2024. Vol. 45. No. 3. Pp. 546–561. DOI: 10.1007/s10834-023-09917-9.
Bazen S., Joutard X., Périvier H. Measuring the child penalty early in a career: The case of young adults in France. IZA Discussion Papers. 2021. No. 14763. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4114300.
Budig M.J., England P. The wage penalty for motherhood. American Sociological Review. 2001. Vol. 66. No. 2. Pp. 204–225. DOI: 10.1177/000312240106600203.
Gough M., Noonan M. A review of the motherhood wage penalty in the United States. Sociology Compass. 2013. Vol. 7. No. 4. Pp. 328–342. DOI: 10.1111/soc4.12031.
Hynes K.B. The trade-offs parents make: Examining the relationship between parental employment, parental resources, and children’s cognitive development. Doctoral dissertation. Cornell University, 2005. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.712777.
Kleven H. The geography of child penalties and gender norms: A Pseudo-Event study approach. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper. 2022. No. w30176. DOI: 10.3386/w30176.
Kleven H., Landais C., Posch J. et al. Child penalties across countries: Evidence and explanations. AEA Papers and Proceedings. 2019. Vol. 109. Pp. 122–126. DOI: 10.1011/aea2019_25524.
Kleven H., Landais C., Søgaard J.E. Children and Gender Inequality: Evidence from Denmark. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. 2019. Vol. 11. No. 4. Pp. 181–209. DOI: 10.1257/app.20180010.
Lebedinski L., Perugini C., Vladisavljević M. Child penalty in Russia: evidence from an event study. Review of Economics of the Household. 2023. Vol. 21. No. 1. Pp. 173–215. DOI: 10.1007/s11150-022-09604-y.
Markussen S., Strøm M. Children and labor market outcomes: separating the effects of the first three children. Journal of Population Economics. 2022. Vol. 35. No. 1. Pp. 135–167. DOI: 10.1007/s00148-020-00807-0.
Migranova L.A. Wages in Russia in 2015–2021. Population. 2021. Vol. 24. No. 3. Pp. 175–190. EDN: EYWWFG.
Shah N. Assessing the impact of parenthood on pay and employment: An event study of the motherhood penalty and fatherhood premium in the UK. Working Paper, Kent Academic Repository, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, 2024. Pp. 1–31.
Keywords:
motherhood “penalty”, fatherhood “bonus”, child penalty, birth order, event study, Heckman selection correction, panel data, real wages, gender wage gap, Russia, RLMS‑HSE, family policy.
